Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Obamacare navigators are supposed to be like guides for the blind. They will help you go through the

maze of new health insurance options. Take your personal financial data (income, tax filing status, income tax history) and calculate your premium subsidy.Premium subsidies are a wealth redistribution trick that is supposed to make the new, much higher premiums, "affordable".But enough about that. How well is this taxpayer funded navigator program working so far?

More than 100 nonprofits and related organizations, which specialize in everything from running soup kitchens to organizing farm workers, have been recruited by the federal government to sign up "navigators".

Many of the groups have little expertise in health insurance. And the timeline for training the workers is tight.

Yahoo NewsSounds like a well qualified group. Health insurance buyers now have an option and won't have to deal with greedy, commission hungry agents.They can get advice from community organizers transformed into Obamacare navigators.Wonder how well that will work?

Community groups received the course materials for the 20-hour training only days ago. Many have just begun to post the openings on job boards.

20 hours of training.Impressive.And how well is this Obama job creation plan going?

A small scream came from Tara McCollum Plese when she was asked whether her group, Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, has hired any of the 45 workers authorized in its federal grant. "Ack! No," she said Thursday. Her group has posted a job description, she said, and is now flooded with inquiries for the positions, which pay about $15 an hour. She's since heard one worker has been hired.

Not one navigator has been hired yet under the $2 million grant obtained by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

A bit underwhelming, but there is still plenty of time to turn this around.

Perhaps disgruntled fast food workers who have gone on strike, demanding $15 per hour should apply. They have experience dealing with the public and will be ahead of the learning curve.

Obamacare navigators are supposed to be like guides for the blind. They will help you go through the

maze of new health insurance options. Take your personal financial data (income, tax filing status, income tax history) and calculate your premium subsidy.Premium subsidies are a wealth redistribution trick that is supposed to make the new, much higher premiums, "affordable".But enough about that. How well is this taxpayer funded navigator program working so far?

More than 100 nonprofits and related organizations, which specialize in everything from running soup kitchens to organizing farm workers, have been recruited by the federal government to sign up "navigators".

Many of the groups have little expertise in health insurance. And the timeline for training the workers is tight.

Yahoo NewsSounds like a well qualified group. Health insurance buyers now have an option and won't have to deal with greedy, commission hungry agents.They can get advice from community organizers transformed into Obamacare navigators.Wonder how well that will work?

Community groups received the course materials for the 20-hour training only days ago. Many have just begun to post the openings on job boards.

20 hours of training.Impressive.And how well is this Obama job creation plan going?

A small scream came from Tara McCollum Plese when she was asked whether her group, Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, has hired any of the 45 workers authorized in its federal grant. "Ack! No," she said Thursday. Her group has posted a job description, she said, and is now flooded with inquiries for the positions, which pay about $15 an hour. She's since heard one worker has been hired.

Not one navigator has been hired yet under the $2 million grant obtained by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

A bit underwhelming, but there is still plenty of time to turn this around.

Perhaps disgruntled fast food workers who have gone on strike, demanding $15 per hour should apply. They have experience dealing with the public and will be ahead of the learning curve.